Direct Energy and City of Marietta Offer Residents and Small Businesses Natural Gas Price Direct Choice provides pricing stability during winter heating months

Marietta, OH (9/28/2009) - With natural gas prices at an all-time low and heating season just around the corner, the City of Marietta has announced that it’s working with Direct Energy to offer natural gas services to the community’s residents and small businesses.

Through a new marketing agreement called Direct Choice, the City of Marietta has arranged for Direct Energy to offer its citizens a natural gas price of $6.98 per mcf for the first three months of service (November 2009 through January 2010 bill cycles); and a price of $6.854 per mcf for the remaining nine months of the program (February 2010 through October 2010 bill cycles).

”The Direct Choice offer is extremely valuable for residents because it offers a stable price for an extended period of time. On top of that, customers will see a nice drop in the price after the first three months of the program.” said Michael Mullen, Mayor of Marietta. “If people are looking to lock into a great pricing plan for the heating season, they should definitely think about enrolling with Direct Energy in its Direct Choice offer.”

“We offer Direct Choice as part of our commitment to being a long-term, customer-focused, energy partner in Ohio,” said Mike Beck, Vice President of Direct Energy. “This product will give customers the peace-of-mind that comes with locking into a stable-priced plan, especially during the winter months when natural gas consumption is at it’s highest for Ohioans.”

In order to take advantage of the Direct Choice offer, residents need to be eligible to participate in the state’s customer choice program and have a residence or business located within the city limits. Also, residents must actively enroll into the Direct Choice Program to receive this price. If residents are already under contract with another supplier, but wish to enroll with Direct Energy, they should review their current contract to determine if they will be charged an early cancellation fee to switch suppliers.

To learn more about Direct Energy’s Direct Choice offer, residents can contact Direct Energy’s Customer Service Department toll free at: 1-866-803-4618, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.

The City of Marietta already has an existing agreement with Direct Energy for a natural gas Opt-Out Aggregation Program, a separate program that is available to residential and small business consumers currently served by the utility. Under the Opt-Out Aggregation agreement, consumers currently served by the utility are automatically included in the Opt-Out Aggregation pricing plan unless they contact Direct Energy to be excluded. Customers who are eligible for the Opt-Out Aggregation program received letters from Direct Energy in September 2009 informing them of the program price, term and opt-out deadline.

About Direct Energy
Direct Energy, one of North America’s leading integrated energy companies, supplies natural gas to more than 250,000 customers in Ohio. The company has operated in Ohio since 2004, and has a regional office located in Dublin. Direct Energy also provides energy related services to residential and business customers through its U.S. Home Services business that is headquartered in Miami Township, Ohio. The company, a subsidiary of Centrica, also operates in Texas, the northeastern United States and across Canada. Direct Energy's commitment to helping others extends beyond Ohio. The company partners with community-based organizations throughout North America to aid them in trying to end poverty and homelessness.

For additional information, contact:

Yvette Hamilton
Direct Energy
(713) 877-5818
yvette.hamilton@directenergy.com

Direct Energy® is a subsidiary of Centrica plc. All rights reserved. Centrica was created following the demerger of British Gas plc in 1997 and is now a leading supplier of energy and related services. To read more about Centrica plc please visit www.centrica.com.